BENEDICTIONS AND BLESSINGS

It was back in June of  2010 that I put together a collection of my favorite benedictions and blessings.  The first in this collection is one that I created based on 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13.

Cundiff Blessing

Based on 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, our savior and friend;

May the love of God, binding us together and building us up;

May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, knitting us together as a church family;

Be with us until we meet again.  Amen.

 

II Corinthians 13: 13

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen.

 

 

Attributed to Benedict of Nursia, c. 480-547

Book of Common Worship, 1993, 24

Grant us, O God, a mind to meditate on You; eyes to behold You, ears to listen for Your word; a heart to love You; and a life to proclaim You; through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Numbers 6: 24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you.  The Lord be kind and gracious to you.  The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.  Amen.

 

 Dr. John Buchanan, Pastor

Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago

By God’s amazing grace, we are the body of Christ.  And because of that, let us go into the world in peace and courage, holding to the good, honoring all of God’s children, loving and serving the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.  And the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  Amen.

“A Prayer for Dorisanne”

by Katie Cook, 1993

Sacred Seasons, 2005

When the noise and haste surround you

and threaten to take you hostage,

May God’s gentle voice soothe you

and guide you to a place

of quiet strength;

When the days seem cold and dark,

and the nights unbelievably long,

May God’s smile illumine

and warm you from within;

When you feel alone and dismal,

May God send someone to you with a daisy.

May you truly go forth in joy

and be led back in peace;

May all creation sing around you;

And may the weeds of mourning

turn into flowers

wherever you walk.

 

Matthew 22: 37-40

Go into the world in peace.  Love the Lord our God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.

 

 Colossians 3: 12-14

As God’s own, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, and patience, forgiving each other as the Lord has forgiven you, and crown all these things with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

 

Romans 15: 13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Moderator Benediction

Rev. Douglas Oldenberg (1998)

No matter how frightening the world may become; no matter how frightening the individual circumstances of your life may be today or may become tomorrow, you need not be afraid, for God is with you.  God goes before you to guide you, beside you to be your best friend, behind you to protect you, beneath you to support you, and above you to give you vision and courage and hope.  If you will remember that, then the peace of Christ that passes all understanding will be with you too.

 

1 Thessalonians 5: 23

May the God of peace make you holy in every way; and keep your whole being – spirit, soul, and body – free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Dr. Frank Harrington, late Pastor of the

Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta (1996)

Remember by the goodness of God you were born.  Remember that in the mercy of Jesus Christ you have been redeemed.  Remember that He walks with you every day to comfort you, to strengthen, and to guide.  He promised He would, “Lo I am with you always.”  Remember while others have called you servant, He has called you friend.  In the strength of that mighty friendship, go forth now to serve in the Master’s name . . . Till we meet again.  Amen.

St. Patrick’s Benediction (St. Patrick’s Breastplate)

Bishop of Armagh (d. 461)

May the strength of God guide me this day,

and may his power preserve me.

May the wisdom of God instruct me;

the eye of God watch over me;

the ear of God hear me;

the word of God give sweetness to my speech;

the hand of God defend me;

and may I follow the way of God.

Christ be with me, Christ before me.

Christ be after me, Christ within me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me.

Christ at my right hand, Christ at my left,

Christ in the fort, Christ in the chariot,

Christ in the ship,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me.

Christ in every ear that hears me.

 

From the Book of Common Worship (pg. 45)

 

The Formal Dismissal and Benediction in the Presbyterian Church

God calls the church to join in the mission of Christ in service to the world.  As the church engages in that mission, it bears witness to God’s reign over all of life.  God sends the church in the power of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the gospel, to engage in works of compassion and reconciliation, to strive for peace and justice in our life and in the world, to be stewards of creation and of life, caring for creation until the day when God will make all things new . . . the dismissal shall include words of blessing, using a Trinitarian Benediction such as the Apostolic Benediction in 2 Corinthians 13: 14, or other words of scripture.  Assured of God’s peace and blessing, we are confident that God goes with us to our tasks.